Brokage? Leukas Stater With Unusual Symbols

Here is an interesting Leukas Stater with Pegasos and the helmeted head of Athena. Does it look to you all like the obverse is a partial brokage? It looks a little like the imprint of the helmet on the right side of Pegasos. Maybe more than one helmet impact?

I bought this in my local coin shop on the principal of supporting stores willing to include a few ancients, even though it is somewhat damaged looking. I think it is turning out to be more interesting than I bargained for.

I don't see the symbols next to Athena listed in my references. It looks like a cluster of two cherries on either side of Athena and some other vegetative symbol above her head. Hoover lists about 25 different symbols for Leukas but none of them describe what I am seeing. If someone has the BCD catalogue of Akarnania maybe these symbols are listed?



Akarnania, Leukas, AR Stater or Tridrachm, 375-350 BC.

Leukas is a colony city of Corinth. It sat on the end of a peninsula in the Ionia sea. To increase its defensibility the Greeks cut a channel across the peninsula (known as the Dioryktos) which turned the city into an artificial island. This channel has since filled in with silt.

The temple of Apollo Leukatis held an expiratory rite every year in which a criminal was thrown off the cliff into the Ionian. To slow his fall, they would tie birds to his person. Boats were standing by to pull him from the water in case he survived.

Please help me find the missing symbols and share your thoughts on it being a brockage.

Post any coins you have from Leukas or featuring Pegasos!

John

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Not sure what to say about the possible partial brockage.

Neat coin! I'd like to get some non-Corinth colt staters.

Here's one like your from CNG's archives, might be an obverse die match:
https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=39456


AKARNANIA, Leukas. After 435 BC. AR Stater (27mm, 8.61 gm). Pegasos flying left; L below / Helmeted head of Athena left; L E U and three ivy leaves around. Pegasi II pg. 411, 74/1. Toned, nice VF, oblong flan.

 

Thanks TIF! I looked on acsearch but did not try CNG.

They are calling those symbols ivy leaves? I would not have considered them to be ivy leaves. Looks more like two cherries connected at the stem. Interesting how the flan shape is very similar to mine.

 

(as I am crying) I have none from Leukas!!!!!!!!!

But I do have the Pegasus

Q TITIUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS TITIA
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: Head of Mutinus Titinus (Priapus) right, wearing winged diadem
REVERSE: Pegasus springing right, Q TITI on base
Struck at Rome 90 BC
3.8g, 18mm
Cr341/1, Syd 691; Titia 1

DOMITIAN
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: CAESAR AVG F DOMITIANVS, laureate head right
REVERSE: COS IIII, winged Pegasus standing right with raising left foreleg
Struck at Rome, 76AD
3.1g, 20mm
RIC 921

GALLIENUS
Antoninianus
OBVERSE: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right
REVERSE: SOLI CONS AVG, Pegasus right springing heavenward; N in exergue
Struck at Rome, Sole Reign, 267-268 AD
2.27g, 20mm
RIC 283, Cohen 979

 

Maybe this strange obverse appearance is the result of clashed dies rather than being a brockage or restruck brockage? The appearance of Pegasos does not seem to be caused by normal wear or die breaks.

http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Brockages and Clashed Dies

What do you all think?

 

I'm totally on board that it "might" be a brokage ... it certainly could be the back of Athena's helmet next to Pegasus' rump? (super-cool example, regardless)

 

Attractive sharp Akarnanian stater Theo.
I think Pegasus was struck on a planchet with a defect.
And No ivy or cherries , but olives imho
compare them with the olives (left of the owl) on the greek tets from Athens.

Heres my Pegasus from Akarnania:

 

@Andres2 I like the olives theory, there is a similarity there.

You could be right, if there was a big depression in the obverse planchet, when the design was struck maybe the silver did not flow enough to fill up the die?

I am a little surprised no one reacted to the Leukas religious ritual of tying birds to people and throwing them off a cliff into the sea. I guess this is common behavior where you all live.

 

Mean it's not where you live????

 

I would probably attend church more often if they performed this ritual.

 

I vote die clash. Is the blob at 2:00 an innie or an outie?

 

It is an innie.

 

It's a great coin!

 

Very interesting coin with those underlying flan characteristics and the triple ivy leaf symbol. I'm liking it alot!

A rare double Pegasos fraction from Leukas.

AKARNANIA, Leukas
Circa 450-400 BC
AR Diobol. 0.81g, 11.9mm. BCD Akarnania 183. O: Pegasos right with curled wing; Λ, below. R: Δ-Ι-O, Pegasos facing slightly left, rearing up on hind legs, wings spread.

 

Very nice @zumbly I like the archaic pegasus with curled wings.

 

Well, I 'flipped' a coin and vote 'die clash'

As usual, I seem to have confused an example of that super OP coin type with one that got away......so all I can offer is an RR example:



Gens Cossutia (moneyer Sabula), circa 74 BC---Rome mint---with Medusa and Bellerophon riding Pegasus.

 

This type was not in the BCD sale.

 

@Theodosius ...cool Stater!!! Nice Pegasus, and great obverse!

I have several Pegasus'... but want to drop this one here. My latest RR capture:


Roman Republic
AE Double Litra
235 BCE 19.5mm 6.54g
Rome mint
Obv: Hercules r, club below
Rev: Pegasus r, club above, ROMA below
Ref: Craw 27/3; HN Italy 316; Sear 591

 

Pegasus? Reminds me of this double dactyl by the mysterious and pseudonymous poet, Senex Caecilius

Horsing Around

Clippedy-Cloppedy
Wingéd horse Pegasus,
Steed of Bellerophon,
Legend does tell,
Hoofed up Mt. Helicon
Hydrodiviningly,
Giving the Muses their
Hippocrene well.

 

Clever and informative .